Transporting robot and method for operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11679934-B2
Application number	US-202016903842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 23, 2019
Publication date	Jun 20, 2023
Grant date	Jun 20, 2023

Abstract

A transport robot is disclosed. The transport robot may include a cover driver, a power supply, and a processor. The transport robot may execute an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm and/or a machine learning algorithm, and may communicate with other electronic devices in a 5G communication environment. As a result, user convenience may be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A robot comprising:
a transceiver to communicate with an external device;
a body having a storage area;
a plurality of partitions to divide the storage area into a plurality of unit storage areas;
a cover driver configured to move one or more covers relative to the plurality of unit storage areas, the covers are configured to cover or open exposed areas of the plurality of unit storage areas;
a protection structure to couple to the body to protect articles in the storage area and the one or more covers; and
a processor configured to determine, based on information detected at a predetermined position of the storage area, at least one of arrangement information of the partitions coupled to the body, arrangement information of the plurality of unit storage areas, or volume information of the plurality of unit storage areas,
wherein the processor is to communicate, through the transceiver to a mobile terminal, the arrangement information of the partitions based on at least one of number information of articles to be loaded in the storage area, weight information of the articles, size information of the articles, delivery order information of the articles, or security level information of the articles,
wherein the protection structure is configured to rotate about a portion thereof that is coupled to the body to open and close the storage area,
wherein the protection structure and the body are opened or closed by a locking device, and
wherein a device for authenticating a user is separately provided in a predetermined region on the protection structure.

2. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the covers are made of a flexible material, wherein the cover driver comprises:
a plurality of motors to separately correspond to a different one of the covers;
a plurality of rotating shafts to separately rotate based on a corresponding one of the motors; and
a plurality of rollers to separately wind a corresponding one of the covers on the roller or to separately unwind the corresponding one of the covers from the roller based on rotational movement of the corresponding one of the motors, and
wherein the processor controls the cover driver such that the covers to cover or open exposed areas of the plurality of unit storage areas.

3. The robot of claim 2 , wherein each of the covers to separately move along a cover movement path based on the cover driver,
wherein the cover movement path comprises an outer movement path exposed to an outside of the body and an inner movement path disposed inside the body; and
a linear movement guide is provided at the outer movement path to allow at least one of the covers to move linearly along the outer movement path.

4. The robot of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of unit storage areas are provided in a single-layer structure and divided in M rows and N columns (where M is a natural number of 1 or more and N is a natural number greater than 1) by the plurality of partitions,
wherein the one or more covers includes two covers to cover the unit storage areas in a first one of the rows, the two covers including a first cover and a second cover,
wherein the first cover is to cover the unit storage areas disposed in a first direction from a first column to an Nth column, and the second cover is to cover the unit storage areas disposed in a second direction from the Nth column to the first column, and
wherein the first cover and the second cover are disposed so as not to overlap each other, and the first cover and the second cover are to be simultaneously coupled to a specific one of the partitions disposed at an intermediate point of the first one of the rows.

5. The robot of claim 4 , wherein when the Nth column is an odd-numbered column, the processor controls the cover driver such that the first cover is to cover one more of the unit storage areas than the second cover in the first one of the rows.

6. The robot of claim 4 , wherein the processor is to perform control such that articles are to be loaded in the unit storage areas disposed in the first direction such that a security level of the articles in the unit storage areas gradually increases in the first direction.

7. The robot of claim 4 , wherein the processor controls the cover driver such that a first specific unit storage area, corresponding to an article to be delivered to a closest destination, is to be opened first among the unit storage areas corresponding to the first cover and the second cover in the first one of the rows.

8. The robot of claim 7 , wherein when a second specific unit storage area, corresponding to an article to be delivered to a farthest destination, is to be opened first among the unit storage areas corresponding to the first cover and the second cover in the first one of the rows, the processor is to control the cover driver such that one of the first cover and the second cover moves complementarily so as to prevent exposure of the article at the second specific unit storage area.

9. The robot of claim 2 , wherein the one or more covers comprise a plurality of cover coupling portions configured to be coupled to the plurality of partitions,
wherein the partitions comprise a plurality of partition coupling portions configured to be coupled to the one or more covers, and
wherein the cover coupling portions of the covers are to couple to the partition coupling portions of the partitions.

10. The robot of claim 9 , wherein each of the cover coupling portions comprises an electromagnet,
wherein each of the partition coupling portions is made of a material that is to magnetically couple to the corresponding electromagnet,
wherein one of the cover coupling portions or one of the partition coupling portions comprises a cover-partition proximity sensor configured to detect an approach of one of the covers or one of the partitions, and
wherein upon the proximity sensor detecting the approach of the one of the covers or the one of the partitions, the processor controls the cover coupling portions such that each of the covers is coupled to a corresponding one of the partitions by applying electric power to the electromagnet.

11. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a partition storage configured to store additional partitions.

12. The robot of claim 1 , wherein the processor controls the cover driver so as to open a specific one of the unit storage areas corresponding to a predetermined article based on at least one of security level information of articles in the storage area, delivery order information of the articles, size information of the articles, weight information of the articles, or characteristic information of the articles.

13. The robot of claim 1 , further comprising a partition sensor disposed at a coupling portion of the body at which one of the partitions is coupled to the storage area,
wherein the processor is configured to determine, based on information detected by the partition sensor, at least one of arrangement information of the partitions coupled to the body, arrangement information of the plurality of unit storage areas, or volume information of the plurality of unit storage areas.

14. The robot of claim 1 , comprising a pressure sensor configured to detect pressure distribution of articles in the storage area,
wherein when an article is to be loaded in the storage area, the processor controls the cover driver to open a specific one of the unit storage areas in which the article is to be loaded based on pressure distribution information obtained by the pressure sensor.

15. The robot of claim 1 , comprising a camera to capture an image of an ar

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Sung Jin
• Lee Sang Hak
• Kim Nak Yeong
• Moon Sungmin
• Kim Da Eun

Classifications

• B65G1/0464

  with access from above · CPC title

• B65G1/137 Primary

  with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed · CPC title

• G06Q10/083 Primary

  Shipping · CPC title

• G06N3/08

  Learning methods · CPC title

• B65G1/1375

  the orders being assembled on a commissioning stacker-crane or truck · CPC title